Senate race: Negative ads, PACs and the economy

PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- With a little more than 6 weeks to go before election day, talk surrounding the U.S. Senate race has been dominated lately by all of the outside money coming into Maine to try to influence voters.

Independent candidate Angus King has been the most vocal citing the $1.5 million spent on negative ads targeting him.

"They're just trying to manipulate us here for some agenda they have in Washington," he said.

Democrat Cynthia Dill doesn't like the ads either saying, "I don't like it, I denounce it, I can't state it in strong enough language how offensive it is."

Republican Charlie Summers says there's nothing we can do to stop it. "The fact is none of us have control over how outside money comes in and whether it does or doesn't", he said.

When we spoke with all three candidates, we chose an issue -- the economy, and what specifically would the candidates do to help it.

King says he'll work to rollback the mountain of federal regulations that stand in the way of businesses. He says he'll work to increase foreign trade and he says he'll focus on overhauling the tax code to help businesses grow in this country.

Dill says there are plans on the table right now that would jump start the economy but they're not being implemented because of the partisanship in Washington. She would push for passage of the President's jobs bill.

Summers says he would push regulatory reform in Washington like we've seen in Maine to help businesses create more jobs.
He says he would also fight to keep the bush tax cuts in place.

The candidates say, other than meeting them in person, the best way to get to know them, what they stand for and where they stand on the issues is to attend one of the many upcoming debates, or at least try to watch one of the televised or streaming ones.